Refrigerator



A ril 30, 1935.

G. LANGE' ET AL REFRIGERATOR Filed Oct. 25, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 azanentons I r 1 Gflomegs.

April 30, 1935. G. LANGE ET AL REFRIGERATOR Filed Oct. 25, 1932 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Q'Jia e, 1280;102:02 8

Z 3nventors Gttornegs,

April 30, 1935. G. LANGE ET AL REFRIGERATOR Filed Oct. 25, 1932 4Sheets-Sheet 5 ll 4 1 4 Il m'c 3nnentors.

A ril 30, 1935. G. LANGE ET AL REFRIGERATOR Filed Oct. 25, 1932 4Sheets-Sheet 4 ala m R. Jami/zen Zhwentots Patented Apr. 30,1935

UNITED STATE PATENT I-FICE REFRIGERATOR Application October 25,

Claims.

This invention relates to the art of refrigeration and while theimprovements have been designed for use primarily in connection withrefrigerators and show cases or counters of all sizes and styles, theyare also adaptable for chilling and air conditioning the interiors ofbuildings, railway cars, and for like purposes. The term refrigeratorused hereinafter is to be construed broadly as of sufiicient scope toapply to any and all of such structures.

It is an object of the invention to utilize ice as the refrigerant andto provide simple and efiicient means whereby it is possible not only tomaintain a uniform low temperature in the enclosure but also to maintaina high percent of humidity.

Another object is to protect the ice from direct contact with a forcedair current flowing through the chamber being cooled, whereby thewasteful melting action due to such contact is avoided and theefficiency of the ice is prolonged.

A still further object is to chill the circulating air solely by contactwith a surface extending under and supporting the ice, said surfacebeing maintained constantly at a substantially uniform temperaturethroughout its area due to the action of ice and ice chilled watercontacting therewith.

A further object is to utilize the excess ice water for washing thecirculating air, thereby to remove odors and impurities and maintain theproper degree of humidity necessary to prevent deterioration, loss ofweight, and other undesirable results obtained through the use ofmechanical refrigeration units.

Another and important object is to seal the ice in a compartmentprovided therefor and to utilize as an air cooling surface only thatportion of the structure which extends under and supports the ice andice water, thereby to insure complete coverage by the refrigeratingmeans of the cooling surface and the maintenance of a desiredtemperature irrespective of the changing thickness of the ice due tomeltage.

A still further and important object is to provide a novel means wherebythe retained ice water is in constant contact with the supported ice sothat its temperature will be maintained close to the freezing point andit will serve as an efficient supplemental cooling agent.

A further object is to employ a new and novel arrangement of deflectorswhereby the transfer of heat -units between the circulating air and thecooling surface will be distributed evenly over said cooling surfacethereby to effect uniform 1932, Serial No. 639,488

meltage over the entire bottom area of the ice and to maintain the iceat a uniform thickness.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed it being unde'rstoodthat changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a refrigerator equipped with thepresent improvements.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line 44, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal section through a portion of thegrid, taken on the line 55, Figure 1.

. Figure 6 is a vertical section showing the invention embodied in ashow case or counter refrigerator.

Those who are acquainted with the art of refrigeration are aware of thefact that mechanical refrigeration has many disadvantages which areparticularly objectionable where large quantities of supplies are to bekept cold. For example the dehydration of food stuffs results in loss ofweight and flavor and produces discoloration, all of which reduce thesales value of the materials to such an extent as to add greatly to thecost of maintenance. The motor, compressor, and other mechanismnecessary to the operation of a mechanical refrigerator require aninitial outlay which is beyond the means of many merchants and otherpotential users, while the cost of repairs and operation constituteanother expense which cannot be avoided.

By the use of ice as a refrigerant, the loss of weight and flavor hasbeen avoided to a large extent because of the humidity maintained in thefood compartment, and furthermore there has been little waste due todiscoloration. However ice has been objectionable because of the rapidmeltage and consequent frequent icing required.

The present invention has been perfected for the purpose of overcomingthe objectionable features present heretofore in both mechanical and icerefrigerators and to effect not only a considerable saving in the costof installation, but

also, through the use of certainnovel structural features, to maintainan air conditioned storage compartment which will be kept constantlyclose to a predetermined temperature, the percent of humidity being suchas to maintain the weight, flavor and appearance of the stored articles.The invention has also been devised to 'efiect a saving of ice byreducing the rate of meltage so that icing is required only afterintervals heretofore impossible where a uniform temperature has beenmaintained.

' As shown in the drawings the walls I of the refrigerator are wellinsulated. In practice cork board I from three'to four inches thick hasbeen used. If the refrigerator is a top icer as in Figure 1, it will beprovided with an upper or ice chamher 2 and a loweror storage chamber 3.Each chamber will be provided with one or more doors 4 which, whenclosed,w ill seal the respective compartments. d

' Thetwo compartments are separated by a partition 5, which can be ofwood mounted on cross members 6, and in the illustrated structurethispartition extends up to the side walls of the refrigerator but isspaced from the front and back walls so as to provide air passages l and8. Deflecting strips 9 are located at the lower ends of the passages sothat descending currents of air will be directed inwardly away from theadjacent 3o walls.

A pan IU of sheet-metal is supported by the partition and has adepending flange II which extends around the partition. The pan also hasmarginal upstanding flanges l2 constituting the front and back wallsthereof while flanges I3 at the sides of the pan extend. upwardly toconstitute the side walls and also to provide means for attachment tothe walls of the refrigerator.

Mounted on the pan I0 is a sheet metal grid I4 -having deep longitudinalcorrugations l5 provided with flat inclined walls merging at their topsinto upper rounded crown portions l6 and at their bottoms into lowerrounded portions I1. These portions l1 cooperate with the upwardlydiverging walls of the corrugations to form deep gutters [8, while theupper rounded crown portions l6 cooperate with the walls of the corrugations to form air flues or channels l9 beneath the grid. These guttersare closed at their-ends by plates 20 whichare soldered to the ends ofthe corrugated grid plate I and fit snugly against and are secured tosupporting cleats 2l which overhang passages 1 and 8 as shownparticularly in Figure 4. Thus the grid .is properly supported both bythe cleats 2| and by the pan l0 and, in cooperation with the pan,practically closes one compartment from the other.

The plates 20 are provided with small overflow apertures 22' wherebywater can be maintained at a desired depthin the gutters I8 while theoverflow will fall into those ends of the pan l0 projecting beyond theplates 20. See Figure 4.

g The pan Ill-is slightly inclined downwardly toward a central slot 23extending transversely bei Death the corrugated grid and this slot,which isof a length equalto the width of the grid,'opens into a flue 24supported under the partition 5.

A blower indicated generally at 25 is adapted to' withdraw air from thecompartment 3 and force it into flue 24 from which it will flow in alongsheetthrough slot 23. The bottom of the flue is inclined toward a drainpipe 26 so that excess water passing into the flue from the pan l0 andslot flean'be carried ofl.

" A plate 21 formed with parallel inverted V shaped corrugations isinterposed between the pan I0 and grid l4. These angular corrugationsextend upwardly between the gutters l8, and the rounded bottoms ll ofthe gutters rest on plate 21 between corrugations 28. The corrugatedplate 21 constitutes a baflle or deflector which bridges slot 23 and.extends throughout the length thereof. Thus air ascending through theslot will not come-directly into contact with the grid but will bedeflected along the bottoms of the corrugations 28 and emerge at theends thereof into the channels H where it will contact for the firsttime directly with the surface of grid l4.

Seatedin the channels l9 between the ends of deflector 21 and the endsof the grid corrugations are deflector or baflle strips 29 waved orcorrugated as shown and tapered slightly toward the open ends ofchannels l9. These strips rest on the pan l0 but are attached to thewall ofthe grid corrugations. The-top edges of the strips diverge awayfrom the rounded top portions l6 of the grid in the direction of theopen ends of channels l9. Thus air flowing along channels l9 will besplit by each strip 29 into two currents 1 which will be, deflectedtoward the flat walls ofthe channels and flow in gradually increasingvolume over the strip into contact with the crown portion IS. The actionof these air "currents will be apparent clearly by referring to thearrows in Figures 1, 4 and 5.

In practice the door of the ice compartment 2 is opened and after asupply of ice hasfbeen placed on the grid I 4 so as to cover it to auniform depth, the door is closed and the compartment thus sealed.

The cakes of ice I will rest on the crown portions I6 of the grid andbecause of the conduction of heat therethrough the ice will first meltalong these portions and settle down into the upper portions of thegutters I8 where it will be in contact with the downwardly convergingflat walls of the gutters. The water W produced by the melted ice willaccumulate in the gutters up to the level of the openings 22 and thedepending ribs R formed on the bottoms of the lower ice cakes willextend at all times below the level of the water W. Thus the temperatureof the water will be maintained close to freezing and all surfacescontacted by the water and ice will be maintained constantly at the sametemperature irrespective of the thickness of the ice within the chamber2. In other words re-icing of there.- frigerator can be deferred untilthe ice has been reduced to a very thin cake and yet there will be noreduction in the temperature of the grid thereunder. a

The blower 25 creates a forced circulation of air in'the chamber 3,drawing the air from the passages I and 8 and directing it into the flue24. As before stated, air; will escape from this flue-in a long thinsheet through slot 23. As it enters the space beneath grid I it will notcome into direct contact with the grid but will come against and bedeflected .by the corrugated baflle. plate 21. The air'will then travelalong the under side'of the corrugated baffle plate and emerge at theends thereof where it will contact directly for the first time with thewalls of the channels l9. Thereafter the air in each end of each channel19 will be split into two currents passing along opposite sides of thestrip 29 in the channel and then be deflected so as to be spread to agraduallyincreasing extent into intimate contact with the sides and topof the channel. This is due to the corrugations of the strip 29 and alsoto the fact that the strip is ta- 7 z pered away from the top of thechannel H! toward the outlet thereby allowing air in graduallyincreasing volume to flow over the strip and sweep along the undersurface of the crown IS.

The baflie plate 21 and the strip 29 are so located and proportionedthat the heat exchange will be distributed evenly over the bottom of thegrid l4 so that meltage of the ice likewise will be distributed evenlyover the bottom surface. the air does not circulate in the ice chamber 2and acts to melt only the bottom surface of the ice because only thebottom is affected by conduction of heat, it will be apparent that theice will melt very slowly in maintaining the desired temperature of gridI4. As the melting action is carried out uniformly along the bottom ofthe ice the uniform thickness of the ice will be maintained and fewericings will be required during a given period than have been possiblewith refrigerators of any other types.

As the temperature of the grid is practically unchanged at all times thecirculation of the air thereunder will result in the maintenance of auniform low temperature in the chamber 3. In practice it has beenascertained that with proper insulation, a temperature of 40 to 42 canbe maintained continuously.

Aside from the advantages of this structure as a means for maintaining alow uniform temperature, it is advantageous because it will conditionthe air and hold it at a humidity of 90%. This results from thefollowing action:

As the ice water overflows through the openings 22 it is discharged intothe projecting portion of pan l0 thereunder. It then flows along the panbeneath the grid toward slot 23 and thence along flue 24 to the pipe 26.The direction of flow is opposite to that of the circulating air.Consequently the water acts to wash the air, remove all odors andimpurities and maintain the desired high percent of humidity soessential to the preservation of food stuffs and other articles withoutdiscoloration, taint and loss of weight.

As has already been stated, the present improvements are adaptable tovarious types of refrigerators and while the structure thus fardescribed is of the type known as a top icer, the same advantageousresults can be obtained with a side icer, a display case, or any'otherdesign. For example, and as shown in Figure 6, a display case 30,suitably insulated, can be formed with an upper display compartment 3 l,a lower storage compartment 32 and a lower ice compartment 33. Thebottom of the ice compartment forms a pan 34 supporting a grid 35corrugated to form air chan nels separated by gutters, as heretoforedescribed. The'air channels 36 under the grid deliver air at one endinto a flue 31 leading to a blower 38 located above one end of the icechamber and discharging into an air space 39 at one end of chamber 3|.Outlets 40 are provided for the escape of air from this space into thechamber 3 I.

An air flue 4| is located at the other end of chamber 3| andcommunicates therewith through openings 42. This flue leads downwardlyto the storage chamber 32 which, in turn, opens into the upper end of aflue 43 opening under one end of grid 35. As the air is warmest whereentering beneath the grid 35 it is received at that point by acorrugated baflie plate 44 similar to bafiie plate 21 and flows alongthe under side thereof as indicated by arrows. Thereafter the air entersthe unobstructed portions of the channels 36 and then comes into contactwith and is split and deflected by the baffle strips 45 which are likethe ame-4...

strips 29 and are provided for the same purpose. Consequently as the airflows under the supported ice there will be an even transfer-of heat toinsure even meltage of the bottom of the ice. Water in the gutters inthe grid will drain therefrom at those ends nearest the flue 31 and flowalong the bottom or pan 34 in a direction opposite to the flow of air.Finally the water will enter the drain pipe 46. Obviously in thisstructure the air will be maintained constantly at a low temperature forthe reasons heretofore explained and as the overflow of ice water isinto and along the path of the air currents, the desired high percent ofhumidity will be maintained in both the display compartment and thestorage compartment. All walls and the top of the ice compartment aresufficiently insulated to prevent heat exchange therethrough so thatwhen the ice compartment is closed practically no meltage will occurexcept at the bottom surface of the ice.

What is claimed is:

1. In a refrigerator including an ice chamber and a storage chamber, apan under the ice chamber having anoutlet, a corrugated ice supportinggrid providing non-communicating gutters along the top thereof and airconducting channels along the bottom thereof, said channels being closedat the bottom by the pan, there being out lets for the gutters whereby apredetermined level of water is maintained in each gutter and excesswater delivered into the pan for movement within and longitudinally ofthe air channels toward the outlet of the pan.

2. In a refrigerator including an ice chamber and a storage chamber, apan under theice chamber having an outlet, a corrugated ice'supportinggrid providing non-communicating gutters along the top thereof and airconducting channels along the bottom thereof, said channels being closedat the bottom by the pan, there being outlets for the gutters wherebyv apredetermined level of water is maintained in each gutter and excesswater delivered into the pan for movement within and longitudinally ofthe air channels toward the outlet of the pan, means for directing airinto all of the air channels fromthe storage chamber for movementlongitudinally of the channels and over the pan, said air channelshaving outlets for delivering air therefrom back into the storagechamber.

3. In a refrigerator including an ice chamber and a storage chamber, apan under the ice chamher having an outlet, a grid having ice supportingcorrugations providing non-communicating gutters therebetween below thesupported ice for receiving ice water, and air conducting channels alongthe bottoms of the corrugations and be-' tween the gutters, saidchannels being closed at the bottom by the pan and being cooled at thetop by the ice and at the lower sides by. the water in the gutters,tl.ere being" outlets for the gutof the air channels from the storagechamber for movement longitudinally of the channels and over the pan,said air channelshaving outlets for delivering air therefrom back intothe storage chamber, and means in each air channel for increasing thevolume of air flowing along the upper ice cooled portions of the airchannels in proportion to the reduction in temperature of the air in thechannels.

4. A refrigerator including an ice chamber and a storage chamber, meansfor preventing the flow,

of air from one chamber to the other, said means including an icesupporting grid constituting the bottom of said chamber having guttersfor receiving and retaining water produced by the meltage of ice in saidchamber, and means for maintaining the surface of the water in thegutters at a level sufficient to contact constantly with the icesupported upon the grid.

5. A refrigerator including an ice chamber and a a storage chamber,means for preventing the flow of air from one chamber to the other, saidmeans including an ice supporting grid having gutters extending belowthe bottom surface of the supported ice for receiving and trapping icewater,

there being air passages between the gutters and.

porting grid constituting the, bottom of said chamber and havingnon-communicating gutters for receiving ice water and trapping it at andbelow the level of the supported ice, there being air passages formed bythe grid between the gutters, and a second chamber in communication withsaid air passages, said water-level-maintaining means constituting meansfor directing surplus water into the air of said second chamber.

'7. A refrigerator including a corrugated grid andmeans contacting andcooperating with the bottom of the grid to provide air passages beneaththe grid between its corrugations, the top portions of the corrugationsconstituting means for direct engagement with supported ice and thegutters between the corrugations constituting means for retaining waterbelow the tops of the corrugations but in contact with portions of thesupported ice, the top surfaces of the air passages being maintained bythe ice at a temperature lower than but closely approximating the watercooled lower surfaces of the walls of the air passages.

8. A refrigerator having separate compartments normally'sealed againstthe flow of air from one compartment to the other, said refrigeratorincluding a corrugated ice supporting grid constituting the bottom ofone of the compartments and providing gutters thereon for the receptionof water and providing air passages thereunder and between the gutters,and means for maintaining the water in the gutters at a uniform depthand with its level below the tops of the corrugations, said air passagesbeing extended upwardly to a level higher than the level of the water inthe gutters.

9. vA refrigerator having separate compartments normally sealed againstthe flow of air from one compartment to the other, said refrigeratorin-. cluding a corrugated grid for supporting cake ice, said gridconstituting the bottom of one of the compartments and providing spacedgutters for receiving ice water, and means for maintaining the water inthe gutters at a uniform depth and with its level below the tops of thecorrugations, said grid providing air passages thereunder and betweenthe gutters and extending upwardly to a level higher than the level ofthe water in the gutter, whereby the top walls of the passages will bechilled by direct contact with the supported ice and the lower sidewalls of the gutters will be chilled by the water in the gutters.

10. The hereindescribed method of interchanging heat between an aircurrent and a chilling medium which includes the step of directing theair along cooling surfaces to gradually reduce the temperature of theair, and thence along surfaces, chilled by a colder medium, in a volumeincreasing gradually in proportion to the lowering of the temperature ofthe air,

11. In a refrigerator an ice chamber, a grid constituting the bottom ofsaid chamber having corrugations forming non-communicating gutters,there being air passages formed by the grid between the gutters, each ofsaid passages having an air inlet and outlet, a second chamber incommunication with the inlets and outlets, the tops of the corrugationsconstituting means for supporting a cake of ice and said guttersconstituting means for receiving ice water from the supported ice andtrapping it at and below the level of the ice, whereby the tops of theair passages will be maintained at a lower temperature by the supportedice than the water cooled sides of the passages, and sinuous meanswithin each passage between its inlet and outlet for deflecting air ingradually increasing volume against the top of the passage as the airapproaches the outlet.

12. In a refrigerator an ice chamber, a grid constituting the bottom ofsaid chamber having corrugations forming non-communicating gutters,there being air passages formed by the grid between the gutters, each ofsaid passages having an air inlet and outlet, a second chamber incommunication with .the inlets and outlets, the tops of the corrugationsconstituting means for supporting a cake of ice and said guttersconstituting means for receiving ice water from the supported ice andtrapping it at and below the level of the ice, whereby the topsof theair passages will be maintained at a lower temperature by the supportedice than the water cooled sides of the passages, and means within eachair passage between the inlet and outlet for subjecting air in saidpassage first to the chilling action of the water cooled sides andthereafter in gradually increasing volume to the chilling action of theice cooled top as the air flows toward the outlet.

13. In a refrigerator an ice chamber, a grid constituting the bottom ofsaid chamber having corrugations forming non-communicating gutters,there being air passages formed by the grid between the gutters, each ofsaid passages having an air inlet and outlet, a second chamber incommunication with the inlets and outlets, the tops of the corrugationsconstituting means for supporting a. cake of ice and said guttersconstituting means for receiving ice water from the supported ice andtrapping it at and below the level of the ice, whereby the tops of theair passages will be maintained at a lower temperature by the supportedice than the water cooled sides of the passages, sinuous means withineach passage between its inlet andoutlet for deflecting air in graduallyincreasing volume against the top of the passage as the air approachesthe outlet, and meanstfor maintaining the level of the trapped water incontact with the ice, said level maintaining means constituting meansfor delivering surplus water into the air below the grid.

14. In a refrigerator an ice chamber, a grid constituting the bottom ofsaid chamber having corrugations forming non-communicating gutters,there being an passages formed by the grid between the gutters, each ofsaid passages having an air inlet and outlet, a second chamber incommunication with the inlets and outlets, the tops of the corrugationsconstituting means for supporting a cake of ice and said guttersconstituting means for receiving ice Water from the supported ice andtrapping it at and below the level of the ice, whereby the tops of theair passages will be maintained at a lower temperature by the supportedice than the water cooled sides of the passages, means within each airpassage between the inlet and outlet for subjecting air in said passagefirst to the chilling action of the water cooled sides and thereafter ingradually increasing volume to the chilling action of the ice cooled topas .the air flows toward the outlet,

and means for maintaining the level of the trapped water in contact withthe ice, said level maintaining means constituting means for deliveringsurplus water into the air below the grid. 15. A refrigerator includingan ice chamber and a storage chamber, means for preventing the flow ofair from one chamber to the other, said means including gutters in thebottom 'of the ice chamber for receiving and retaining water produced bythe meltage of ice in said chamber, said gutters providing air passagesthereunder and therebetween, and means for maintaining the water in thegutters at a level below the tops of the gutters and below the level ofthe tops of the air passages.

GEORGE LANGE.

RUDOLPH SOMMERS.

MACKAY C. SAYLOR.

